Stabilizing device for ships



April 1939- c. VON DEN ISTEINEN 2,155,456

STABILIZING DEVICE FOR SHIPS Filed Jam. 18, 1938 ln ventar:

Patented Apr. 25, 1939 PATENT OFFICE STABILIZING nnvrcs ron slurs Carl von den .Steinen, Bergedorf, near Hamburg, Germany, asslgnor to Askania-Werke A. G., a

corporation of Germany Application January 1;,- 1938, Serial No. 185,579

In Germany January 18, 1937 2 Claims. (Cl. 115-32) ship aligned with the horizontal, but also pro m vide propelling energy for the ship.

According to this invention I provide in a ship a Schneider propeller near one end thereof together with means forinclining the axis of rotation of the propeller in response to pitching l5 movements of the ship, whereby a force will be exerted on the ship counteracting the pitching movements p The Schneider propeller is well known in the art and described, foi' example, in my copending application Ser. No. 185,580, filed January 18 1938. The Schneider propeller includes a plurality of substantially parallel blades which are adjustably mounted in a rotatable support and extend into the water. A force is exerted on the water by rotating the support about an axis parallel to the direction of the blades and by simultaneously adjusting the blades in pitch relatively to the support.

It is well known in the art that a Schneider propeller mounted near one end of a ship will exert a propelling force on the same, the direction of which may also be varied for the purpose -of steering the ship in any desired direction.

According to this invention, I propose to mount the Schneider propeller for inclination,

about a substantially horizontal axis, normal to the longitudinal axis of the ship, whereby upon not to be taken in a limiting sense, the scope of this invention being defined in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing: i

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of

a Schneider propeller mounted on a'shi according to this invention. a

Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a form of control device for adjusting the propeller.

In the body of a ship ll near to one end thereof a Schneider propeller H is mounted in a semicylindrical cradle l2 movable about a rocking axis l3 disposedsubstantially horizontal and normal to the longitudinal axis of the ship. The body of the ship is provided witlL'semi-cylindrical surfaces ll into which the cylindrical surface I! of the cradle is fitted 'to prevent water from entering the ship.

The Schneider propeller in the illustrated example is ,of the electrically driven type in whichan electric motor in the casing ll rotates the blades ll about the propeller axis Ii. Electric energy is supplied to the propeller through a cable I1 passing through the hollow axis I 3 in the cradle. I l i For rocking the cradle about the axis I! a servo-motor I8 is shown in the illustrated embodiment connected to an arm I! of the cradle through a connecting rod 20.

A suitable form. of apparatus for controlling I the movements of the servo-motor l8 will no be described. p A device responsive to inclinations of the longitudinal axis of the ship with respect tothe true vertical is shown in the illustrated example as being a pendulum 2| which may be of the short or long period type. The short period type will respond to deviations of the ship from the direction of the apparent vertical, while the long period type will respond to deviations from the true vertical. The pendulum 2| is mounted about an axis 22 for oscillating movements parallel to the longi- .tudinal axis of the ship.

For the deriving positional impulses for actuating a control device the pendulum is shown as combined with a follower member 23 having contacts' 24am! 25 between which contacts 26 of the pendulum are arranged. The follower member has a toothed edge 21 meshing with a worm 28 driven by.a reversible motor 29. A source of electric energy ill is connected with the motor through a lead 3|, a further lead 22 leading to the movable contact 28 of the pendulum 2|. Leads 33 and 34 connect the contacts 24 and 25 with the motor 29. The operation of the follower device so fa described is as follows:

Upon a relative displacement of the pendulum and the follower member one of the pair of contacts 24, 26 or 25, 26 will be closed causing the motor 29 to turn the follower member into alignment with the pendulum. It is easily seen that the position of the follower member following the I with pressure fluid through a conduit ll. The

jet-pipe issues a jet ofpressure fluid into reception orifices 4i and 42 depending upon the relative position of the Jet-pipe and the orifices.

The reception orinces communicate with the interior of the servo-motor II in which a piston II is movably connected'to the arm ll of the cradle to the connecting rod ll.

For making the movements of the servo-motor proportional to the, movements of the relay, a follow-up connection; is provided, in the illustrated embodiment a link it connected to the second arm of the double-armedlever It.

The operation of the device is as follows:

Assuming that the longitudinal axis of the ship be inclined to cause the front part of the ship to project out of the water while the stem is covered with water, the pendulum II will move clockwisely relatively to the follower member.

The follower member will move the jet-pipe to register with the oriiice conduit 42, whereby the motor II is caused to rock the cradle in counterclockwise direction. The rod will after a certain inclination of thecradle cause the relay to return to its neutral position, whereby the movementsof the cradle are interrupted after a ceratglin inclination proportional to the pitch of the The propeller H which exerts a horizontal force indicated by the arrow I when in the normal position I, will now in the new position 11 exert a force indicated by the arrow 4. which may be split up into a horizontal component 48' propelling the ship and a vertical component 40' counteracting the pitching movement of the ship and tilting to lift the stern of the ship out of the water. a I when the ship pitches in the opposite direction, the cradle will move the propeller into a position III in which a. force 41 is exerted by the propeller. The force 41 may again be split up into a horizontal component 41' propelling the ship and a vertical component ll'f counteracting the pitching movement.

Obviously, the present invention is not restricted to the particular embodiment herelnshown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a ship's body; of a propeller having a plurality of blades arranged parallel with the axis of rotation of the propeller; means for mounting said propeller on said body for movement about a tilting axis normal.

to the axis of rotation of the propeller and substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the ship; and means responsive to'longitudlnal inclinations of the ship with respect to the horiing movement about an axis normal to the longitudinal axis of the ship; a propeller having a plurality of blades arranged parallel with the axis 01' rotation of the propeller, said propeller being mounted on said cradle with its axis of rotation normal to the rocking axis and with the blades extending into the water; and means responsive to longitudinalinclinations of the ship with respect to the horizontal for rocking said cradle, whereby a vertical component of the propeller force will counteract the inclinations of the ship, stabilizing the same.

. CARLvonnmSTEINEN. 

